EXCLUSIVE: Karolina Wydra (Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.) has landed a lead role opposite Rhea Seehorn in the upcoming Apple TV+ series from Breaking Bad creator and Better Call Saul co-creator Vince Gilligan, Deadline has learned. The untitled project, described as a blended, grounded genre drama, has a two-season straight-to-series order.
Per usual, Gilligan is keeping all information about the show under lock and key, so Apple TV+ and producing studio Sony Pictures Television declined comment.
Believed to be a departure from the world of drugs and crime he explored in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, the new series has been jokingly nicknamed “Breaking Good.”
“After 15 years, I figured it was time to take a break from writing antiheroes… and who’s more heroic than the brilliant Rhea Seehorn?” Gilligan said at the time of the series’ announcement.
A fun, mild sci-fi series told through the point of view of Seehorn’s character, the show is said to be set in our world while putting a tweak on it, bending reality and focusing on people and exploring the human condition in an unexpected, surprising way. It has been compared to classic movies such as E.T.
Wydra plays a character referred to as Ana, an optimistic young woman. The series is gearing up for production or has already started filming in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Gilligan serves as showrunner and executive produce through his High Bridge Productions. Former Sony Pictures TV president Jeff Frost also executive produces, along with Diane Mercer. Jenn Carroll is producing for High Bridge.
The project reunites Wydra with Sony TV where she recurred on Prime Video’s Sneaky Pete, executive produced by Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston, and on FX’s Justified. Wydra portrayed Vampire Violet on HBO’s True Blood and also appeared on David Lynch’s Twin Peaks Showtime reboot. She was most recently seen in a recurring role on ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Wydra is repped by Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof and Fishman.